Elaine Dolalas is a Historic Filipinotown-based writer, This Filipino American Life podcaster, and independent curator. She 
curates Color Your Troubles Away, an arts event that offers stress relief, healing, and meditation through coloring. Elaine is happily trying to figure out the secret of life through writing, volunteering, and most importantly avoiding cleaning her room, much to her husband TFAL producer Mike’s chagrin.
Elaine had some dark moments in her life. It was having a community of women who helped her along the way, gave her the confidence to keep pushing to be the amazing person that she is today and be able to live life her way.
Bio
Elaine Dolalas is a Historic Filipinotown-based writer, This Filipino American Life podcaster, and independent curator.
Cultural Background
Elaine is of Filipina descent.
Favorite Self Confidence Quote
Find out who you are and do it on purpose.
Definition of Self Confidence
Self confidence is a journey that you learn from.
Her Life Before the Discovery of Self Confidence
As a child Elaine was very carefree, to the point of being reckless. Her parents told this story how she had this bouncy ball and they were in a parking lot walking into a department store. The ball got away from Elaine and she ran after it. She stopped in the middle of a driveway and a car braked short of hitting her. She wasn’t scared of getting hit, but her parents lost probably 10 years of their lives at the incident.
Elaine also used to wander off as a kid. They were at the Redondo Beach pier for a family bbq and she got away from everyone. She saw something that caught her eye and she just wandered off. Everyone freaked out looking for her. They found her in the middle of the pier, calmly waiting for everyone. She wasn’t scared then.
But then fear gets learned. She thinks she picked up on her parents panic at almost losing her. It made her more cautious as to how she approached life. Elaine also was bullied in junior high and that totally killed her self confidence as well. In college she tried to break free from those negative emotions and picked up a “fake it to you make it” mantra that served her quite well. However it was only temporary. It took more bumps and hits on the road for her to figure our who she is and find her truth.
The “AHA” Moment
Elaine is lucky to know a community of strong women that she can turn to when she was very negative and down on herself. She mentioned that she had a come to jesus moment in her definition of self confidence. That was born from conversations with these women who she view as mentors and sisters. When she was in the middle of Saturn’s Return, life freaked out on her. She had all these plans and everything went array. The women of her life let her cry, vent, and laugh with them. And they shared their own stories and paths through rough patches of their own late 20s early 30s. It was inspiring. And it helped her push through.
Her Life After the Discovery of Self Confidence
Elaine is currently living this life now. She is still striving to live her truth, to take time to take care of herself, to block out time on her calendar for work, play, and everything in between. Most of all she is still learning how to push away negative thoughts that have been learned over the years. That’s going to be an ongoing process.
The One Self Confidence Tip For the Listener
Learn to live your truth. Being happy with yourself is a journey. Continuously keep climbing. Elaine tries to live her life knowing there is no “top of the mountain” that way your always working towards a goal.
Interview Links
Would you like to make a donation?
Click here to make a donation to support the podcast.
